CENTRAL 2 d SOUTH INDIANS 0
ROUND 8 of the Mount Gambier and District Baseball League Division 1 competition saw two tight results over the weekend.
The early game saw South Indians host Central Magpies at Blue Lake Sports Park, with the latter coming away with a 2-0 win in a low-scoring affair.
Central batted first and immediately hit the scoreboard.
With two out, Dylan Chuck singled to right-field and then advanced to third on Koby Chant’s safe hit to centre-field.
Mark Kilpatrick’s hit into left-field forced an error, but the hit was solid enough to see Chuck cross home plate.
With no answer from the Indians followed by a couple of quiet innings from both sides, Central doubled its score in the fourth dig when lead-off batter Kilpatrick hit safely to centre-field, before he scored on Darren Smith’s single also to centre-field.
That was the end of scoring for the game, with the in-form Magpies claiming the honours over last season’s runners-up.
The game was littered with strikeouts and Central picked up eight k2’s to South’s six.
Central hit safely seven times and picked up a single walk in its win, while the Indians picked up five safe hits, along with also just the one base on ball.
Chant started on the mound for Central, pitching seven complete innings to take the win, while Dylan Chuck closed out the game for two innings.
Dean Hamilton pitched six innings for South, before he was replaced on the hill by coach Bruce Morale.
TIGERS 9 d FEDERAL 7
ANOTHER two-run margin separated Tigers and Federal when they locked horns in the late game on Saturday for Round 8 of Division 1 baseball.
Tigers emerged on top with a 9-7 scoreline at the end of play, holding a solid comeback from Federal at bay.
The eventual victor scored the opening run in the bottom of the fourth inning, when lead-off batter Brodie Foster hit safely to centre, stole second and was allowed to cross the plate on brother Jesse’s single into right-field.
Tigers then went on a run-scoring spree in the fifth dig, where it scored six runs to set up a solid lead.
Blake Lentsment singled into right-field and then, uncharacteristically, Federal starting pitcher Clay Carpenter threw three consecutive base on balls, the third one seeing Lentsment cross the plate.
Brodie Foster then singled to score Brayden Morton, who was the first of Carpenter’s free bases.
Jesse Foster followed up with a hit into a fielder’s choice, which saw Mitch Crosbie out at the home plate, but still left the bases loaded.
Ben Marcus hit safely to right-field to score Tyler Horrigan, who had picked the third walk.
The Foster brothers then both crossed home on Matt Thomson’s hit into left-field and Marcus scored on Blake Lentsment’s out at first base for a 7-0 lead to Tigers.
With plenty of work to do, the Demons fought back in the top of the seventh.
Four consecutive safe hits off Tigers’ reliever Brayden Morton came from Kane McMillan, Alex Reppin, Wade Chant and Shane Howard.
As a result McMillan and Reppin scored for Federal and eased the pressure somewhat.
However, Tigers were not to be denied adding one more in the even dig.
Marcus walked and advanced around the bases by the next two batters to finally score on Lentsment’s infield out.
For Federal, Clay Carpenter started off the top of the eighth when his flyball to Brodie Foster in centre-field was grassed, before Matt DeNys and Josh Wilsmore walked to fill the corners.
Carpenter scored on Kane McMillan’s sacrifice fly to right-field, while DeNys crossed for another run from Reppin’s safe hit to right-field and Wade Chant walked, again filling the bases.
Wilsmore and Reppin crossed for two more runs to close the margin, both scoring on Shane Howard’s two-bagger to centre-field.
Sam Shepherd’s single to right-field scored Chant before Tigers managed to retire the Demon’s batting line-up, now with just a one-run lead.
Tigers made Federal’s chances of a win a little harder when Brodie Foster added a run in the eighth.
Taking up arms in the final innings, Federal’s batters were not up to the task and failed to score the necessary runs to force Tigers to bat again.
Both teams used three pitchers with Tigers batting 10 safe hits, seven base on ball and picked up two strikeouts.
Federal hit safely 13 times, picked five walks and nine K2’s.
